R.I. officer caught kicking suspect on camera

Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Providence police have launched an internal investigation after an officer was accused of beating a handcuffed suspect with a flashlight in an incident captured on surveillance camera.

Police said on Thursday that the probe was launched after Luis Mendonca was arrested Oct. 20 for assault following a chase in Providence. Surveillance video shows him hiding under a car and struggling with several officers who were investigating a breaking and entering.

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The video shows an officer kicking and striking Mendonca with a flashlight after he was handcuffed. A police report documenting the arrest does not mention the violence. Mendonca's attorney, Alberto Aponte Cordona, filed a police brutality complaint against Detective Robert DeCarlo. The attorney said his client was in a coma for two days and needed staples in his head. DeCarlo did not return a call seeking comment.